1. In Harvey, Who Polices the Police?
The “lawless” suburb highlights how little oversight local police departments receive from the state. The Chicago Tribune investigates. (Registration required.)
2. The Seeds of a New Generation
How the farm-to-table movement is changing the economics of Midwestern farming—and the way Chicago schoolchildren eat. The New York Times reports.
3. The Audacity of Michael Sheerin’s Cicchetti
Chicago chefs are challenging traditional Italian food—and the former Blackbird chef has the most daring menu of all. A rave from the Chicago Reader.
4. The 2014 Chicago Auto Show: Baby Steps Towards a Driverless (But Not Carless) Future
How car companies are slowly preparing you for the day that your car takes the wheel. Chicago magazine examines this year’s Auto Show.
5. How Questions About Vanecko Sent Daley’s City Hall Into a Frenzy
When reporters started asking about the involvement of the mayor’s nephew in a fatal encounter, police and officials scrambled to respond. The Sun-Times looks behind the scenes.
6. In Meetings With Young Black Men, Obama Tries to Leave a Mark
The president returns to the South Side—to talk with local teens as part of the city’s Becoming a Man program. The Washington Post listens in.
7. Illinois’s Pension Problem: How Big Is It, Really?
The usual estimate is $100 billion, but the real tally could run as high as $250 billion. WBEZ adds it up.
8. This Is McDonald’s Real Problem (and There’s Nothing It Can Do About It)
The company’s consumer base is declining as the lower-middle class suffers during a down economy. Crain’s gives the bad news.
9. The Pope’s Chicago Cardinal
Cardinal Francis George is overdue to retire, and his replacement will signal the Catholic Church’s direction in America. An op-ed in the Wall Street Journal looks at the church’s bellwether city.
10. Youth or Experience? Women’s Curling Set to Be a Battle of the Generations
America’s oldest Winter Olympian is 45-year-old Chicagoan Ann Swisshelm—and she’s got stiff competition from the new generation of curlers. The AP breaks down the battle.